h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Since I'm not spending anywhere near as much time at uni now, I've started thinking again about some of the projects I've had on the back-burner for a while.
It's important to me to stay creative, especially given recent events.

So, in the manner of sharing and an attempt to sound more positive to people who don't deserve to bear the brunt of my negativity, I'm going to describe some of them a little. Besides, I'm pretty sure that most of you would have a good idea or two that I could use.

If you don't think you'd be interested, of course feel free not to bother reading this. I really don't mind, Job.

The oldest project: the workstation chair. Essentially I want to put computer parts into a comfy chair, so that I have an ergonomic workstation with back support in all the right places etc, and the user can be comfortable and relaxed no matter what they're working on. I think this is even more important given that people these days tend to spend crazy amounts of time in front of the computer, and most of them don't even know how to adjust their monitor to the right height.

At the moment I have the skeleton of an old recliner, and I think I've figured out where all the computer parts can go. I've had a few issues with things like cables not being able to reach as far as they need to, and trying to make sure there's enough airflow so that the CPU doesn't overheat and so on, but I think it's sorted now. Soon I'll start adding wooden framing back onto the metal skeleton, and putting speakers in and so on. Then I'll have to figure out how to convert the signals from laptop keyboards into whatever PS2 ports take, and find a decent sub-woofer pre-amp circuit.
And then I need to reupholster it, which will probably be annoying 'coz it's not my thing at all and I don't know anyone else that would do it for me for a favour.


The next main current project is a robot. I think this one started in a random conversation. I realised I knew how to make most of the bits already, and besides, robots are cool.

I can make the brain be a multi-layer neural network, that way it can train itself and I don't have to bother hard-coding everything from scratch. Besides, it'll behave cuter that way too. I think I've still got the code at home somewhere.

The body will mostly consist of the computer to run the brain, which means that it'll be bigger than I'd have liked, because smaller computers are more expensive and therefore harder to get for free.
Also on the body will be something like an actuator-sensor interface; essentially something which takes digital signals, like from a serial port, and converts them to analog voltage levels along one of several wires, which will be connected to the actuators for the legs and so on.

The actuators themselves I /think/ I can make myself, but I'm not certain. To find out, I need to buy some ferrous toroids, but I haven't been going past the shop much recently so I haven't got around to it. It would also be helpful if I could find some iron nails, but I'm not sure they exist any more; the only ones I can find are steel.
The legs can be made out of almost anything, as long as it's strong enough, and can have holes drilled in it. For the sake of laziness I'm looking for something like meccano (mecanno? meccanno? Y'know, that metal bits construction kitset. Like lego, but not plastic.) so that I don't have to bother drilling the holes and getting metal filings all through my carpet.

It also needs a sensor interface of some kind. I want it to have no less than two eyes, so that it can figure out 3D parallax vision for itself. It should have no less than two ears, for pretty much the same reason. And it probably won't have /more/ than two each of these things, because it's easier to find two free cameras and two free microphones, than it is to find more.
It won't have a mouth or a nose, because I don't care.
It's tactile sensory information can just be microdot switches in various positions, like the ends of its legs, on its corners, etc. Because they're cheap and its easy.

Aparrantly to get the signal of a microphone or camera converted into something the neural net can use, I just connect to the video/sound card and use a frame grabber mechanism thingee. Aparrantly this is pretty standard and easy to do, although obviously I'll have to find out exactly how.

Which means the only major problem (apart from the actuator-sensor interface, which I might just ask someone else to make for me) would be powersource. Usually a computer is plugged into a wall. Usually a robot is designed either to have someone come along and plug it in to recharge its batteries, or it has a solar panel and finds its own power, which means it brain is designed to have very low drain.
Usually a full computer is not used as a brain, on a robot which is designed to be independant. Which means I need some funky way to have either a fairly big solar panel, which charges a fairly big capacator or battery, and a circuit which will shut down the computer when the capacator drains too much, and restart it when it's charged up enough. Otherwise, if it just turns itself off by not having enough power to run any more, then it'll forget everything it's learnt since the last time it turned on; I need the brain to save stuff before it dies.
Luckily, most parts of a computer only take 12V power; the power supply in a computer doesn't actually use most of the power it takes out of the wall. Which is mint.

So currently, I need to find: a large solar panel. Legs of some kind. Two cameras. Two microphones. An actuator-sensor interface. Um. Actually, I think that's all. Apart from buying some ferrous toroids, but I just have to get around to that.

Oh, and aparrantly the robot has to be spider-like (ie eight legs), and be purple. So I'm told.


The idea of making a flying device and getting myself to Canada is still in the back of my head, although engine design is still bugging me. It'd be easier if I had a junkyard to raid; I might have tested a couple of ideas by now if I did. Someone pointed out to me that I don't need to build a frame as such - there's the body of a spitfire plane bolted on to a pole in a park down the road. But it's a memorial, and I have too much respect for my dead peeps to steal it.


And I still want to make an air pool table, but I decided I was going to wait until I'd finished the workstation chair first, because my flat is small. Pity: I should have done it first because it's easier to make, and I have someone standing by to market it for me already.
If I'd done it first I might have a good income out of it by now. Damn.

Any ideas from anyone?

Yeah. Build an air pull table.

air pool table. very very cool


the robot...... well purple yes.... i could see that, kind of a dark metallic purple? but a spider....no..... i think what with so many people afraid of spiders you may consider something else please? i want one............
besides, then you only need two legs

as as for the chair....well i'm fairly confident that i could appolster it. shouldnt be that difficult. and you know that i'd be more than happy to do you a favour

and thanks for the happy journal very cheering. not that i mind hearing about other things. but i think that talking about fun stuff like this is good for you.

Met, I think the reason the robot is Spiderman is because it wouldn't be able to balance on only two legs. Don't ask me why it's purple though.

I wouldn't mind a spider robot though.
Actually it reminds me of the Replicators from Stargate.

Yeah it's notoriously difficult to teach a robot to balance on two legs. The first people who ever managed were a team of engineers who worked for Honda and spent a year practically locked in a workshop, trying to get it right. Maybe more than a year, come to think of it. So when it comes to robots; more legs is usually better.

Purple and spider-like because it was Haylee that I had the original conversation with, when I realised I could probably make it. I said something like "Hey! I think I could make a robot!", she asked me to make her one, I said if she paid for the resources then she could have whatever she wanted. And she said as long as it was purple and spider-like anything else didn't matter.
She may not actually pay for any of the parts, in which case I'll keep it and it'll probably be cooler. And probably not purple. But maybe.

I'm sure I should know of the replicators from Stargate. Can you please jog my memory?

Replicators: http://www.stargatewars.com/index.php
(bigger pic here:http://homepage.ntlworld.com/aliyates/kernel/replicator.jpg )

What's an air pool table?

They're the ones the Asgard are fighting. Robots that can rearrange themselves into any shape they need for their enviroment.

Air pool table ,if i had to guees it would be one of those slippery thinks that you attempt to hit a plastic disc into a slot.
But thats not what was refered to earlier that was a contraption much like a hot air ballon for cheap transport .

*waves to Jerms*

An air pool table - What a cool project!

Just because it has been a while > ltp
Sorry for the interruption Jerms!

Hi abbi and present for lurkers A4108358 looks interesting maybe usefull for some ,and something to do for others with a bit more time on their hands .

Sorry GB, that first link didn't come up with much useful, and the second one didn't jog my memory. Maybe I haven't seen them after all...
They sound quite funky though, I wouldn't mind getting into that field but at the moment it's all driven by research labs with big budgets.

"What's an air pool table?" Sorry I forgot I hadn't mentioned it before...
Think of an air-hockey table... with the air that comes out of the little holes to make the puck float, and the funny circular things you use to hit the puck into the other person's slot/goal/thing, which are shaped just right so that you always end up whacking your knuckles instead...
LTP has the right idea on that...

Well yeah same type of table, but playing pool on it instead of hockey.
A few other changes, but that's the basic idea.

"But thats not what was refered to earlier that was a contraption much like a hot air ballon for cheap transport." I think I missed that earlier reference.

*waves to Abbi*
No worries! A is always a worthwile interruption!

Including from a straight guy?

Sure. It wouldn't be the first time.

... just no , although probably .

Point taken.

ah well jerms... if its a worth while interuption.....


i have a question about the air pool table... if you leave the air hockey puck alone on the table it starts to drift on its own... would the pool balls do the same thing and that would just become part of the game?
and if a ball accidently drifted into a pocket on your turn you get the point?

I think that would just be part of the game.
I was thinking maybe it would turn out that the holes on the edges of the triangle could be angled in a bit, so that it would be easier to set the balls (well, pucks) without them moving about. I'd have to play around with it.
If a ball accidentally drifted into a pocket on your turn it would depend on who's ball it was as to who got the point.
Maybe I could find a way that the pucks don't move so much as they do on an air hockey table. Again, I'd have to try it to find out.
Also you've just made me realise it would be good if it wasn't very easy to cheat by huffing on the table.

Something to think about, at least.

whos ball it is? doesnt that depend what kind of pool you're playing?

Oh and I realised yesterday that a laptop would be much better than a PC to run the brain on... especially for the sake of power conversion - it's already got a built in battery and sends a shut-down signal when power's getting low, and I'm certain it has a power surge power-on signal option too.
Plus the obvious advantages that it's smaller, lighter, and therefore takes less mechanical power to move about, and therefore can run for longer on the same power supply, will be quicker and easier to build the body for it, etc.

whos ball it is? Doesn't that depend what kind of pool you're playing? Um. I don't think so. Unless you're thinking of snooker? Or there's a variation on pool I don't know about?

Probably people could figure out their own rules, once the system is in place. People are good like that.